Each year a group of us load up and head for the warmer waters in West Tennessee. We congregate at Natchez Trace State Park on the banks of Cub Lake. It use to be a bunch of guys, cold beer, and an escape to chase large mouth on a man made lake. In recent years in has turned into a family outing. The men have become out numbered, less beer is taken and less time is spent on the water each day in favor of "family time". Regardless, our loving wives will extend an olive branch and let us exercise our arms and free our souls a few hours a day and chase our fine finned little friends.

Cub Lake is a small 60 acre man made lake with a variety of fish and an abundance of large mouth. It is a shallow lake but is littered with downed trees and snags along all its banks. The guys I travel with are adept with a spin rig... but not me. I am the odd ball in the group. I will throw the long skinny stick and an array of poppers and bass buggers I have tied to bring my quarry to hand. I get odd looks and long stares from the locals on the bank. I have gotten use to this. Most guys fishing these waters don't usually show up with a fly rod. We are considered an oddity... or maybe even a yuppie...

But one thing I have found fishing this lake and others, is the diversity I can bring to hand on a single streamer makes every cast a complete unknown and every hook set an adventure.

This past weekend was no different. I had tied up an array of flies and was determined to fish them. Weather was a mix back of tricks as we fished Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday Morning.. but each day and session I got bites, caught fish and well... just had a grand ole time. And like always, each hook set could and may present something different than the one before.

Diversity...

Bucket Mouth

Another...

Blake with a Bucket Mouth....

Crappie

Fat Bellied Bluegill

And this beast... A 6 lb Blue Cat straight off the bank and to the boat.

"If it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use"

But really in the end... it is not about all of that... it has evolved into much more....

(My buddy Todd, his kids, my kids and my niece)

Life is good...

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You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is out of focus. - Mark Twain

It was fun... this was the 2nd time I have caught a Cat on this lake. Caught one back in 2010. It weighed 4.5 lbs.

Each time they are tucked up tight against the bank and when they get hooked they make a dash for the middle of the lake or the nearest snag. Bulldogging along the bottom the entire time. That guy put quite the bend on my 6wt. I was fishing 10lb stren flouro for tippet. So I horsed him in rather quick because if I had let him run for long he would have had me wrapped and I would have been cutting line.

Petey

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You can't depend on your judgement when your imagination is out of focus. - Mark Twain